Diospyros foliosa : the correct name for D. elliptica , and new combinations in Fijian and Samoan Diospyros (Ebenaceae)
L. J. Dorr1
Summary.The correct name inDiospyrosL. (Ebenaceae) for a species from Tongafirst described asMaba ellipticaJ.
R. Forst. & G. Forst. and incorrectly known asD. elliptica(J. R. Forst. & G. Forst.) P. S. Green isD. foliosa(A. Gray) Bakh. In addition to the nominate variety, six additional varieties are recognised from Fiji and Samoa. As these varieties lack names under D. foliosa, the following new combinations are proposed: D. foliosavar. elliptica (J. R.
Forst. & G. Forst.) Dorr,D. foliosavar.fijiensis(Bakh.) Dorr,D. foliosavar.fructuosa(A. C. Sm.) Dorr,D. foliosavar.
iridea(Fosberg) Dorr,D. foliosavar.opaca(A. C. Sm.) Dorr, andD. foliosavar.savaiiensis(Christoph.) Dorr.
Key Words.Fiji, Pacific Islands, Samoa, Tonga.
Introduction
While attempting to resolve the identity of the enigmatic Pimia Seem. (Dorr & Cheek 2011, this volume), the combinationDiospyros elliptica(J. R. Forst.
& G. Forst.) P. S. Green (Ebenaceae) was discovered to be illegitimate as it is a later homonym of D. elliptica Knowlt., the name of a Miocene fossil. When Green (1969) proposed his combination based on Maba elliptica J. R. Forst. & G. Forst., a species described from Tonga, the species in question was known generally albeit incorrectly as D. ellipticifolia (Stokes) Bakh. (based onFerreola ellipticifoliaStokes).
Green (1969) speculated that Bakhuizen (1933) had adopted the specific epithet “ellipticifolia” on the assumption that a combination based on M. elliptica was pre-empted by D. elliptica André. According to Green (1969), Bakhuizen’s action was “doubly unfortunate” as Green felt justifiably that the name proposed by André (1887) clearly was intended to apply at the rank of variety (or cultivar, viz. D. kaki
‘Elliptica’) and F. ellipticifolia was nomenclaturally su- perfluous because the earlier M. elliptica was cited in synonymy. Green’s (1969) solution would have been correct except that he overlooked the earlier homonym that blocked the transfer of the specific epithet
“elliptica.”The next available epithet is“foliosa”(based on M. foliosa A. Gray) and thus D. foliosa (A. Gray) Bakh. is the correct name inDiospyrosL. forD. elliptica.
Berry (1909), who wished to transfer Phyllites ellipticus Newb. to the genus Diospyros wrote that D.
elliptica Knowlt. pre-empted this action and therefore he proposed D. amboyensis E. W. Berry as a nomen novum. Later, Berry (1911) mislabelled a plate (pl. 29, fig. 5) and its caption (p. v)“Diospyros elliptica(Newb.)
Berry,”but this combination cannot be considered to have been validly published as Berry accepted D.
amboyensisin the text (p. 212, 230) of this monograph of the fossil flora of the Raritan Formation (see McNeillet al.2006, Art. 34.1).
Smith (1971,1981) revisedDiospyrosfor Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga, and consideredD. foliosa(asD. elliptica) to be a variable species for which he recognised seven varieties occurring amongst these islands. Six of these varieties lack names under D. foliosaand new combi- nations are proposed below.
Taxonomy
Diospyros foliosa (A. Gray) Bakh. (Bakhuizen 1941:
444, 447). Type: Fiji, Vanua Levu, “Muthuata and Ovalau”[i.e., Mathuata], s.d., U.S. Exploring Expedition s.n. (holotype US-65907!; isotype GH).
Maba foliosaRich. ex A. Gray (1862: 326).
Ebenus foliosa(Rich. ex A. Gray) Kuntze (1891: 408).
Diospyros elliptica (J. R. Forst. & G. Forst.) P. S. Green var.foliosa(A. Gray) A. C. Sm. (1971: 377).
Diospyros foliosavar.elliptica(J. R. Forst. & G. Forst.) Dorrcomb. nov.Type: Tonga,“Tonga-tabu & Namok,”
s.d.,J. R. Forster & G. Forster(lectotype BM, selected by Smith1981: 732).
http://www.ipni.org/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77116929-1
Maba ellipticaJ. R. Forst. & G. Forst.,Char. Gen. Pl.61, pl. 61 (Forster & Forster1775).
Ferreola ellipticifoliaStokes (1812: 556),nom. superfl.
Accepted for publicationDecember 2011.
1 Department of Botany, MRC-166, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA. e-mail:
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Ebenus elliptica(J. R. Forst. & G. Forst) Kuntze (1891: 408).
Diospyros ellipticifolia Bakh. (Bakhuizen 1933: 162), nom. superfl.
Diospyros ellipticifoliaBakh. var.elliptica(J. R. Forst. & G.
Forst.) Fosberg (1938: 611),nom. invalid.
Diospyros major(G. Forst.) Bakh. var.elliptica(J. R. Forst. &
G. Forst.) Bakh. (Bakhuizen1941: 431),in synon.
Diospyros elliptica (J. R. Forst. & G. Forst.) P. S. Green (1969: 340), nom. illegit., non“D. elliptica, nov. var.”
André (1887: 349, pl.), nec D. elliptica Knowlt.
(Knowlton1902: 83, pl. 16,fig. 5), necD. elliptifolia Merr. (Merrill1926: 421).
Diospyros foliosa var. fijiensis (Bakh.) Dorr, comb.
nov.Type: Fiji, Vanua Levu, Mba, S portion of Seatovo Range, 20 April 1934,A. C. Smith1564 (lectotype BO, designated by Smith1971: 376; isotypes BISH, GH, K, NY!, UC, US!).
http://www.ipni.org/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77116931-1
Diospyros ellipticifoliaBakh. var.fijiensisBakh.,Bull. Jard.
Bot. Buitenzorg, ser. 3, 15: 431, 437 (Bakhuizen1941).
Diospyros elliptica (J. R. Forst. & G. Forst.) P. S. Green var.fijiensis(Bakh.) A. C. Sm. (Smith 1971: 376).
Diospyros foliosa var. fructuosa (A. C. Sm.) Dorr, comb. nov. Type: Fiji, Viti Levu, Serua, hills N of Ngaloa, in drainage of Waininggere Creek, 19 Nov.
1953,A. C. Smith9185 (holotype US-2192180!; isotypes BISH, K, SUVA, UC).
http://www.ipni.org/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77116932-1
Diospyros elliptica (J. R. Forst. & G. Forst.) P. S. Green var. fructuosa A. C. Sm., J. Arnold Arbor. 52: 375 (Smith1971).
Diospyros foliosavar.iridea(Fosberg)Dorrcomb. nov.
Type: Samoa, Savaii, near Tufutafoe, 22 Nov. 1931, Christophersen 3310 (holotype BISH; isotypes K, NY!, UC, US!).
http://www.ipni.org/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77116934-1
Diospyros ellipticifolia Bakh. var. iridea Fosberg, Bull.
Torrey Bot. Club65: 612 (1938).
Diospyros major (G. Forst.) Bakh. var. iridea Bakh.
(Bakhuizen1941: 431),in synon.
Diospyros elliptica (J. R. Forst. & G. Forst.) P. S. Green var.iridea(Fosberg) A. C. Sm. (Smith1971: 380).
Diospyros foliosa var. opaca (A. C. Sm.) Dorr comb.
nov. Type: Fiji, Viti Levu, Serua, bank of upper
Navua R., 22 April 1966, Fiji Dept. Agr. [leg.
Koroiveibau & Qoro] 14883 (holotype BISH; isotypes MASS, SUVA).
http://www.ipni.org/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77116935-1
Diospyros elliptica (J. R. Forst. & G. Forst.) P. S. Green var.opacaA. C. Sm.,J. Arnold Arbor.52: 381 (Smith 1971).
Diospyros foliosa var. savaiiensis (Christoph.) Dorr comb. nov. Type: Samoa, Savaii, near Fangalele, 21 Nov. 1931,Christophersen3404 (holotype BISH; isotypes A, K, NY!, UC, US!).
http://www.ipni.org/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77116936-1
Maba savaiiensisChristoph.,Bernice P. Bishop Mus. Bull.
128: 173,fig. 26 (Christophersen1935).
Diospyros ferrea(Willd.) Bakh. var.savaiiensis(Christoph.) Fosberg (1938: 611).
Diospyros elliptica (J. R. Forst. & G. Forst.) P. S. Green var.savaiiensis(Christoph.) A. C. Sm. (1971: 379).
Acknowledgements
Judy Warnement (Harvard University Botany Librar- ies) kindly provided a copy of the article by André.
Martin Cheek (K) and two anonymous reviewers made critical comments that improved this note.
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DIOSPYROS FOLIOSA: THE CORRECT NAME FORD. ELLIPTICA
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